Health and Fitness

1. Be Portion Savvy – The key to weight control is to know how much a serving should be. Limit protein to the size of a deck of cards; carbohydrates like rice and bread and potatoes for example, to the size of your closed fist. Vegetables and fruit should fill half your plate and fats and oils should be kept to a minimum – less than one tablespoon. If you don’t exercise very often choose a small plate and pile it high with low-fat, low-calorie vegetables or salad before adding meat or poultry and carbs.

2. Protect Your Heart – By increasing the intake of wholegrains, you will reduce the likelyhood of heart failure dramatically. Wholegrains prevent chronic illnesses like stroke and diabetes. Wholemeal bread and pasta will help protect you against pre-menopausal breast cancer too so aim for 3 servings of 16g portions a day. If you don’t exercise much have for breakfast a small bowl of porridge or wholegrain toast.

3. Balance Your Omega Fats – Omega-3 fats reduce inflammation and protect against heart disease and arthritis but avoid taking too many omega-6s found bought sauces, cakes, pastries. Aim for oily fish, green leafy vegetables. nuts and seeds. A couple of portions of fresh or frozen oily fish or eggs will do.

4. Basic Core Exercises – The deep band of muscles in your abdomen and back that keep your pelvis stable will help prevent back and joint problems and do wonders to streamline your figure for those summer dresses. Pilates is an excellent art to learn for your body. Here’s a tip – pull in your abdomen throughout the day by drawing your navel in towards your spine for a strong core.

5. Pain-Proof Your Back – Check your posture when you sit especially it you have an office job. Wiggle your bottom back into the chair as far back as possible or support the lower part of your back with a cushion. Run your fingers down your breast bone to where it ends about five inches above your navel and make your spine push forwards towards your finger. This automatically brings your shoulders back down and creates a sense of lightness down your spine. If you’re sitting for long hours take a break and walk around the office or get outside for at least 5 minutes every hour.

6. Use An Electric Toothbrush – A rotating, oscillating head toothbrush removes more plaque and protects against gum disease and diabetes. Gum disease is actually linked to higher levels of pancreatic cancer. Here’s a tip – brush for two minutes twice a day, once before breakfast and last thing at night, but not straight after meals. Eating and drinking naturally weakens your tooth enamel and brushing straight afterwards can brush away tiny particles of enamel and make your teeth more transparent so it’s always best to wait at least an hour.

7. Walk To Exercise Your Brain – Simply walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week can improve your concentration and powers of reasoning dramatically and age is not a barrier. Walking supplies fresh air and essential oxygen to your brain and dramatically increases your ability to think, reason and remember so it’s best to aim for 30 minutes a day if possible of brisk walking enough to make you puff. Here’s a tip – take the stairs instead of the lift or sprint up the stairs and skip a step instead or going up one-by-one.

8. Reduce Salt – There is enough added salt and other additives in food as it stands. Avoid ready meals when possible and remember that just because something tastes sweet, it doesn’t mean there is no added salt. Biscuits, flapjacks, chocolates are all guilty of this so reduce your intake to prevent the tens of thousands of salt-related cardiovascular diseases that occur every year.

9. Drink Tea – Contrary to popular belief, tea hydrates just as well as water. Three cups a day (sugar-free) will protect your teeth and strengthen your bones and the secret lies in the anti-oxidants found in black tea, white and green tea. But don’t over-do it because it can have an adverse effect.

That was only 9 straight forward tips for you to follow. We’ve only just touch the tip of the ice-berg. Visit http://www.yourcoffeecorner.com for the insider secrets and anti-aging tips.